The Beryl Companies, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas launch CultureIQ

Paul Spiegelman, chief executive officer of The Beryl Companies, and Britt Berrett, president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, have launched the CultureIQ score. CultureIQ is an interactive tool for healthcare leaders to identify and align internal culture initiatives to improve employee satisfaction and engagement.  

With a shift in healthcare progressing towards a pay-for-performance and a satisfaction-based reimbursement model, CEOs are realizing that their culture and level of employee engagement are two key initiatives that can elevate the patient experience. Focusing on employee satisfaction can have a direct impact on the patient experience as the hospital staff has the largest opportunity to influence the quality of the patient's visit at each touch-point. 

"CultureIQ provides the opportunity for healthcare leaders to benchmark their position and compare themselves to others within their organization as well as their peers in the industry," says Paul Spiegelman. "Britt and I found that there was a need in the industry for a tool to identify and bring attention to culture gaps and identify the areas needing focus. CultureIQ does just that and we are proud to offer it!"

Having spent many years leading their respective organizations and understanding the connection between culture, customer/patient loyalty and financial results, Paul and Britt put pen to paper and will publish their book Patients Come Second: Leading Change By Changing The Way You Lead. As part of their research, they conducted interviews with some of the country's leading healthcare CEOs whose stories will also be published in the book, due in March, 2013. 

In order for other healthcare organizations to begin to evaluate their employee engagement levels, a baseline must be identified. The CultureIQ survey calculates and presents the user with an initial score to work from in order to develop action plans that can improve the patient experience over time. 

To ensure the value in the CIQ™ results, Spiegelman and Berrett have already tested the survey amongst hundreds of healthcare leaders and staff.  Early results will be the subject of a white paper published by The Beryl Institute in October. These results clearly demonstrate the gaps that exist in current engagement strategies and show wide differences in perception among employees in the same organization.  

"In other industries, leaders have learned that the primary driver of customer satisfaction is internal engagement of an organization's employees," remarks Berrett. "In healthcare, we are rapidly adjusting delivery and business models to meet the quality and satisfaction metrics tied to hospital reimbursement. We must also focus on our own teams to better engage them in our purpose and vision. Enhancing the strength of employee morale will drive better patient satisfaction and a better patient experience."

"I have experienced within my organization the connection between culture, the patient experience and financial results," says Spiegelman. "By partnering with Britt, longtime friend and fellow healthcare executive, to write this book and launch the CultureIQ, our goal is to convince other leaders to change the way they lead for not only their own staff morale, but for the patients and the families they touch every day."